Most adults in New Jersey are happy with the neighborhood they live in and satisfied with their access to healthy food; places to walk and exercise; and community services, including parks, playgrounds, and libraries. But not everyone feels that way – and perspectives differ across race and income groups, according to the findings of a poll by Rutgers Center for State Health Policy.
The New Jersey Health and Well-Being Poll found significant differences in the way people perceive the resources in their communities that can influence their health. Overall, 81 percent of respondents rated their neighborhood as a good or excellent place to live. But the picture is more nuanced when broken down further. By income, that rating becomes 91 percent for people with high income, 78 percent for middle income, and just 57 percent for those with low income. And black and Hispanic respondents were much less likely to rate their neighborhoods good or excellent – at 61 percent and 62 percent, respectively – than white (88 percent) and Asian (91 percent) respondents.
The findings are meant to provide information for policymakers, nonprofits and advocacy organizations to consider how people’s prospects for good health are limited, and what might be done to provide more opportunity for health improvement.
“We looked at how someone’s housing, accessibility to parks and healthy food options come together to influence how easy it is for people to live healthier lives,’’ said Joel Cantor, the Center for State Health Policy’s director. “In some neighborhoods, it appears to be a lot more difficult than in others.’’
More key findings include:
The poll was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, whose vision for a Culture of Health focuses on community systems to improve well-being.
“We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to live the healthiest life possible,” said Kerry Anne McGeary, senior program officer at RWJF. “This poll helps us understand how residents view their access to healthy choices across New Jersey, and identify where we all have more work to do.”
The Rutgers center took an innovative approach to the poll by inviting other philanthropies – including the Dodge Foundation, Nicholson Foundation, Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, Community Foundation of New Jersey and Horizon Foundation – to serve on the advisory board. Their early involvement helped ensure that the poll could inform and advance their work and lead to action.
“One of the goals was to measure the views of the New Jersey public to stimulate a dialogue among policymakers and grant makers about how to improve residents’ health and well-being in the state by looking at health holistically, not just through the lens of health care delivery but also examining the communities where people live,’’ Cantor said. Other factors that were considered in the poll include citizenship, insurance coverage, gender, age, family composition, education level, mental health status and chronic illness or disability.
Related Articles: